Biodiesel: An Introduction

A quick project update:

I will be focusing on alternative fuel sources in Carroll County, Maryland. I grew up in Hampstead, which is in the northern part of the county, so it is an area with which I am familiar. Carroll County is more rural than most areas of Maryland, so it would be a good area on which to focus. As you will see, in the future the rural areas of our country will be just as important (if not more so) than the urban areas in regards to the development of alternative fuels.

It would be a mistake to not introduce the two main alternative fuels that will be the focus of my project. Did anyone do a little research of their own and see what "biodiesel" and "E85" are? For those who did not, here is a brief introduction to the first of the two:

"Biodiesel"
First of all, biodiesel is not totally free of fossil fuels. It is rather a mix of biodegradable elements and petroleum diesel fuel. The reason why biodiesel is considered an alternative fuel is because it requires less petroleum diesel fuel (anywhere from 2% to 100% less) than traditional #2 diesel fuel. There are 7 primary different mixes of biodiesel and petroleum diesel: B99 and B100 (99 and 100% biodiesel, respectively); B20 and B11 (20% and 11% biodiesel); and B2, B5 and B10 (2%, 5% and 10% biodiesel). Click here to read a good article from the DesMoines Register on how biodiesel is made.

~MA

Something to think about:

1) What is "E85?" What do you know about it?